Just leave the Leafs ALONE!
October 18, 2007
Nikulin Blog: October 16th
October 15, 2007
ThirtyFive has the latest translation up on HFBoards.
October 16: Feels like I’ve played the whole season here.
Finally I scored my first goal in North America. It was during the game where my Binghamton played Syracuse, a game we lost, unfortunately. It was a hard-working goal. I shot from the hash marks, the puck hit the pipe and bounced back to me. I shot again, and got it in the net.
Naturally, they retrieved the puck and gave it to me as a gift. And overall that game turned out to be very interesting. I have to say we should have been winning. We had a lot more opportunities than the opponent, but didn’t capitalize of them. For example, I could’ve scored about five times. And then we failed to kill a penalty, and broke down, I guess.
Also interesting was the game against Hershey. The Bears are a very technically sound team. There are fine players in the lineup that can also play physically with the best of them. But here things were different. We scored a very timely goal and finished the game with a win.
I’m playing a lot, can’t complain. I’m out on the power play all the time, they trust me. Though I’m out rarely for the penalty kill. Was out just once and we were scored on right away. So if I’m better when we’re up a man, then that’s where I’ll play.
I’m getting used to the fact that each game is a new challenge. And you must give a hundred percent in any game. But talking strictly hockey, I’m feeling very confident, as if I’ve been played here all season long.
For two games Ray Emery tended our goal. He played quite well. But I didn’t see anything outstanding, although, of course, he’s an excellent goalie. We do not have poor goalies here, anyway. Ray brought our game up, no doubt. They say he fights, too.
Speaking of fighting, there were a couple of scraps in the game against Hershey. Our tough guy Jeremy Yablonski showed himself off in the best of lights. It all began when he selected as his opponent a guy four times as big as him. Since Jeremy doesn’t look that strong on first sight, his opponent looked huge. But Yablonski won, I thought. Landed a few exact punches. It was a rough fight, all in all. Even though the game turned out to be rather physical with lots of penalty minutes, I didn’t take part in any of these scrums.
I want to note that the last two games I spent with different partners. In the game against Syracuse I was with Tyler Donati and Cody Bass, and against Washington’s farm team I was with Josh Hennessy and Niko Dimitrakos. I don’t mind the constant switching, it doesn’t hinder me. You see, almost all the guys here are of the same level. And we quickly find common ground. So, in both games I picked up points.
Though whatever Cory Clouston, the head coach, is telling me I don’t understand yet. I know he’s trying to give me some tips. No, there’s not a problem during the post-game discussion. We watch video and I have an idea of what’s going on, but during actual conversation it’s still hard to understand words.
One thing I understood is that he was really upset after the loss to Syracuse. Not because of the loss itself so much, as with the unsuccessful performance on the power play. We didn’t shoot enough, though we worked on this during practice.
At least I’m happy that my favorite sticks have arrived, the ones I’m so used to. And I scored my first goal with one of them. I hope it won’t be the last in the AHL, and, in the future, in the NHL.
Yablonski vs McAllister
October 15, 2007
The papers are all talking about Emery’s good game, but for us Bingo fans its all about Yabo! Watch how he seamlessly switches between righty and lefty.
Emery sent to Binghamton
October 12, 2007
Ray Emery will be starting for the Binghamton Senators tonight and Saturday during a 2 game conditioning stint.
The Ottawa Senators announced on Thursday goaltender Ray Emery had been assigned to the AHL for a two-game conditioning stint.
Emery will make starts against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday and the Hershey Bears on Saturday.
The 25-year-old was limited to one start in the preseason, a win over the Flyers, due to a recovery from wrist surgery.
Nikulin: October 9: Dump-ins still aren’t my thing.
October 9, 2007
ThirtyFive has the latest translation from Nikulin’s blog. No mention of the fog.
I’m living in the USA now, where Ottawa’s farm team is located. The move went rather smoothly. Ilja Zubov and I were provided with a car and a driver and we were on our way to where the team was. Got there in four hours, crossing the border was quick. Just checked our passports.
Didn’t really need to get used to the new group much. The same guys that were at the prospects camp are here. I know them all so it was easy getting into it. Ilja Zubov and I were given a hotel room, but in about two weeks we’ll move to a rented room or house. Binghamton is a small town, it’s hard to say what the population here is. Probably not more than of Cherepovets. But overall good impressions: it’s a compact, quiet town. A five-storey building is the tallest.
But the arena here is beautiful, seats five thousand spectators. No qualms regarding locker rooms, either. Everything’s like it is in Ottawa. The training process is set up well with either team.
The only serious trouble is the lack of sticks I played with all my life. The last one I broke back during a preseason game with the Senators. I have to use others. At the farm you can play either with CCM or Reebok stick. Good sticks, but I’d rather play with my own. Should have them delivered this week.
The first game of the AHL season we played against Albany, Carolina’s farm team. We lost 3-1. Again I was struck by the speeds. They skate faster than in the NHL here. Perhaps in the major league the thought process is bigger. After all, the level of players there is higher. The first period and a half I was just getting into the game. And was not happy with myself, and the coach had cause for criticism, too.
He commented that everything was good, as usual, but then stated that some things need to change in my game. The main problem is that I skate too much. Which is true, and in the third period I made a mistake because of that which led to a goal being scored on us. We pulled the goalie, I went in as the sixth skater. And I skated past a player in our zone who then made a pass and we were scored on. My fault. But, on the other hand, CSKA’s Vyacheslav Bykov asked different things of me. I had to maintain the speed, always remain mobile. It’s tough to switch right away. I won’t totally change my style, but I must adapt. I must really get used to the relentless collisions. And these constant dump-ins from every position are also not my thing.
But in this game our line also scored the lone goal. It was Ilja Zubov, who was moved to the wing. We played out a good power play setup. By the way, we’re often out on the power play, but rarely for the penalty kill.
I’m gradually learning English. I’m attempting to speak for myself. The club’s manager approached Ilja and I and told us Tuesday they’ll assign a tutor to us and we’ll begin studying the language seriously. For now, though, I can only say several phrases. I can ask where my sticks are. How to perform a given exercise. Understand a lot.
We have a good team. I’m told the club played poorly last year. But this time we should finish in a better position. There are lots of fine hockey players here: forwards Tyler Donati and Jim McKenzie, goaltender Jeff Glass.
There’s also another player from Eastern Europe, a Czech defenseman Tomas Kudelka. He knows a Russian counting rhyme: Raz, dva, tri, chetyre, pyat’ — vyshel zaichik pogulyat’. And some other words. It’s all right, I’m sure with time he’ll have a large vocabulary.
Monday was Columbus Day in the US, a national holiday. There’s music everywhere, fairs. But most likely we’ll just stay in and relax. Because we don’t have days off, every day we either practice or play. Have to conserve the energy. I’m still not losing heart, despite being sent down to the farm team. I believe it will be easier to adapt to the North American style of play here, to understand what is being asked of me, to learn.
Ottawa has 1 more roster spot open
October 7, 2007
With McAmmond injured there is an opening on Ottawa’s roster and they’re looking for the right guy to fill. Unlike Muckler, Murray has made it clear that this spot is open to anyone will to work for it.
“There’s job openings,” Murray said following Binghamton’s pregame skate. “But it’s going to be based on merit. … It’s going to be based on attitude here — how you practice, how you play, obviously. Leadership. Being a good guy. All that comes into play.
“We’re not going to send somebody up there that’s just going through the motions here. … If he has a good game and scores two goals, and comes out to practices like he doesn’t want to be here, those guys aren’t going to get a chance. So it’s the whole package as far as attitude and production.”
B-Sens drop home opener 3-1
October 7, 2007
Not much to say about the home opener. Combine a high turnover, a team full of rookies, and not enough preseason games to form lines with record high temperatures and fog and you get a sloppy 3-1 loss filling with a lot of stoppages for the players to skate in circles to clear the air. I’m going to forget this game happened and look forward to next week when the team will have better chemistry and communication and hopefully a chance to play more than 60 seconds without a whistle.
On an opening night that will likely best be remembered for 20-plus fog delays and the sight, time and again, of two hockey teams skating round and round, trying to lift the haze, the B-Sens couldn’t find quite the fresh start they were looking for.
Albany center Dave Gove scored the go-ahead goal eight minutes into the third period, and goalie Michael Leighton stopped 34 of 35 shots as the River Rats grabbed a 3-1 win and spoiled Saturday night’s season opener for the B-Sens in front of 4,487 fans at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
“I think they were able to adjust a little bit better to what was going on with the ice and everything,” B-Sens center Josh Hennessy said. “It’s pretty tough to play a skill game and make three or four passes in a row, and I think they might have simplified things just a tiny bit better than we did, or a little earlier than we did. And got a couple bounces.”
Newcomer Ilya Zubov scored the lone goal for Binghamton, evening the score at 1-1 on the power play with 19 seconds left in the second. Jeff Glass stopped 26 of 28 shots in the loss, which Albany punctuated with an empty-netter with 25.4 seconds left.
A hot, humid night in the Arena that began with a rousing, standing ovation for the return of veteran left wing Denis Hamel quickly lost much of its rhythm and flow as play was stopped 10 times in the first period for players to come out and try to skate the fog away.
Dmitrakos clears waivers
October 5, 2007
Niko Dmitrakos cleared waivers today. He and Hennessy are expected to be in Binghamton and ready to start for Saturdays season opener.
Luttinen returning to Finland
October 5, 2007
I guess Artu Luttinen didn’t like Peoria. The former B-Sens winger has returned home and signed with HIFK Helsinki.
Hennessy assigning to Binghamton
October 5, 2007
The Senators assigned Josh Hennessy to Bingo today. No word on whether they want him to rehab his shoulder and get more ice time in Bingo or maybe McAmmond is close to returning and Foligno has passed Hennessy on the depth charts.
The Ottawa Senators today announced they have assigned forward Josh Hennessy to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators.
Hennessy will be heading to Binghamton, N.Y., to open the Senators’ sixth AHL season. The B-Sens will host the Albany River Rats in their home-opener on Saturday, Oct. 6. The centre recorded no points in two games with Ottawa this season, averaging 1:57 in ice time.
